Long Shadows

“I saw Dawn River using yarrow the other day,” Dove’s Wing added helpfully. “We could ask her advice, too.”

So they don’t have a single medicine cat, Jaypaw thought as Rising Moon rubbed the cooling dock leaves on his pads. Just a few cats who share knowledge about herbs. And they don’t know as much as a Clan medicine cat.

Jaypaw remembered how uncertain Dove’s Wing had been that her mother might be watching her. If these cats had no medicine cat, that could explain why they weren’t aware of their ancestors. What do they think happens when a cat dies?

“There.” Rising Moon finished rubbing the last of Jaypaw’s pads. “Does that feel better?”

“It feels great, thanks.” Even though he knew that horsetail would have worked better, Jaypaw was still grateful for the cooling juices on his pads.

“You can rub your feet again later,” the she-cat went on, pushing the remaining dock leaves together into a pile. “But you’d better get some sleep now.”

“I’ll bring you something to eat,” Dove’s Wing promised.

Jaypaw’s jaws stretched in an enormous yawn. He was barely aware of Rising Moon scrambling out of the den. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into sleep.

Chapter 16

Scent tickled Jaypaw’s nose. Mouse! His belly growled, and his eyes flew open to see that dusk had fallen. Dove’s Wing’s pale gray shape stood on the edge of the den, peering down at him. A

mouse dangled from her jaws.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed, dropping the mouse at her paws. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m fine,” Jaypaw meowed, hauling himself out from underneath the tree roots.

“Hey, Jay’s Wing!” A young brown tabby tom was standing just behind Dove’s Wing, his amber eyes alight with curiosity.

“What was it like, down in the tunnels?”

“Quiet, Fish Leap!” A white she-cat padded up on Dove’s Wing’s other side. “Don’t pester Jay’s Wing. He must be worn out already, without you asking questions.”

“And don’t tell me what to do, Half Moon,” Fish Leap retorted. “You want to know everything as much as I do.”

The white cat brushed her pelt against Jaypaw’s. Her green eyes shone up at him. “Of course I do,” she purred. “But I can wait while he eats.”

The scent of the mouse was making Jaypaw’s mouth water.

“Thanks,” he meowed to Dove’s Wing, and took a bite. He was aware of Fish Leap tearing impatiently at the grass beside him.

“I don’t know why Furled Bracken is making us wait to go into the tunnels,” he grumbled. “We’re all ready to become sharpclaws. I want to get on with my challenge.”

“Furled Bracken will let us go when he thinks we’re ready,” Dove’s Wing meowed.

So they’re all apprentices, Jaypaw figured as he gulped down the mouse. If they cal them apprentices here. It sounds as if Furled Bracken is their leader. But how can he have nine lives if they don’t know about StarClan?

“Well, come on.” Fish Leap sounded irritated. “Tell us.”

“I can’t,” Jaypaw mumbled around a mouthful of mouse, glad that he had an excuse for being mysterious. “You know sharpclaws can’t talk about what happens in the tunnels.”

Fish Leap grunted. “You think you’re better than us now you’re a sharpclaw.”

“He does not!” Half Moon exclaimed indignantly.

Jaypaw wasn’t sure how to defend himself. He didn’t know enough about what a sharpclaw was supposed to do. He guessed they were like warriors, but if he was wrong he might be in trouble again.

To his relief, Dove’s Wing nudged Fish Leap away. “Leave him alone,” she meowed. “He’s still tired; he needs to rest some more. We’ll all find out about the tunnels soon enough.

I’m just glad Jay’s Wing got out safely.”

Half Moon’s green eyes clouded. “Not like Fallen Leaves,” she murmured.

Fish Leap and Dove’s Wing exchanged a sorrowful glance.

Jaypaw felt hollow in his heart when he thought about how long Fallen Leaves was destined to wander through the tunnels, trying to find the way out. He wished there was a way to let these cats know that their friend was dead, drowned in a flood, and they would never see him again. It was clear that the waiting had already driven Broken Shadows mad.

Finishing the mouse, Jaypaw wriggled back into his den.

He was falling back to sleep when he heard Fish Leap’s voice, raised in protest.

“One lost cat doesn’t mean that all the rest of us have to leave!”

“It’s not just one, as you well know,” Half Moon retorted.

“How many cats have to die before we look for somewhere else to live? There must be other places with prey and shelter for all of us.”